U.S. hospitals, schools, and others across the globe were allegedly extorted for over $100 million by an infamous ransomware group, and on Thursday, the US State Department offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of the group’s leaders.
In exchange for information leading to the apprehension or conviction of the suspected cybercriminals, the State Department extended a reward of $5 million. As part of a long-running State Department bounty programme, the programme provides substantial financial rewards to anyone who can provide information about the most dangerous cybercriminals on the planet.
The FBI’s infiltration of the global ransomware gang Hive last year was the main point of Thursday’s revelation. According to the FBI, they were able to stop victims from paying the $130 million ransom because they had access to Hive’s computer systems for a few months.
The US Department of Justice reports that in August 2021, a hospital in the Midwest was forced to turn away patients due to a ransomware attack utilising the Hive malicious software, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cybercriminals extorted victims out of a record $1.1 billion in ransom payments, despite the US government’s continuous struggle to curb the lucrative ransomware industry.
A 314-bed hospital in Louisiana is among the other victims of the US Hive. The hospital claimed in October that it blocked a ransomware attack, but the criminals still managed to get their hands on the personal information of about 270,000 patients.
After the significant shutdown of Colonial Pipeline in May 2021 owing to a ransomware assault by a suspected Russian cybercriminal, the US government began to view the ransomware outbreak as a serious matter. Colonial Pipeline was responsible for transporting fuel to the East Coast. Long lineups at gas stations were witnessed in various areas as a result of people hoarding fuel due to the disruption.
